Re: GPS units--target for thieves?

On Apr 25, 2:19 pm, Elmer <elmer...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Apr 24, 8:14 pm, Andrew Tompkins <andy...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:





On 4/24/2010 1:22 AM, Larry G wrote:

On Apr 23, 11:03 pm, Andrew Tompkins<andy...@xxxxxxxxxxx>  wrote:
On 4/23/2010 2:13 PM, Larry G wrote:

On Apr 23, 4:17 pm, hanco...@xxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
On Apr 22, 6:29 pm, Elmer<elmer...@xxxxxxxxx>    wrote:

When parking in "uncomfortable" neighborhoods, I often put a very well
worn Rand McNally or DeLorme (old fashioned printed map book) in plain
sight inside my car. Theoretically, a potential thief will see it and
realize there's no hidden GPS worth breaking in for.

As the others noted, thieves do not think about such things.

It actually may be counter productive.  A thief may think there's
something valuable hidden underneath the atlas.

Cops often say the best protection is to leave _nothing_ in view
within the car.  Not even change in the change holder.  Not even empty
cans and bottles being taken to the recycle bin.

I'm a big  believer in situational awareness.. and the length of time
that the car will be unattended and in what circumstances.

I do not lock the car at the Sheetz or places that are not obvious bad
neighborhoods... as long as I can keep it in view and/or it's only
there for a few minutes...

I've never understood this idea of leaving things unlocked.  My
philosophy is that you spend so much time earning the money to get your
stuff; why let someone else just walk in and take it?  For me, if it can
be closed and there's no reason to have it open, then it's closed.  If
it's closed and there's a lock on it, then the lock is locked.  If there
are 15 locks on it, all 15 are locked (there is probably some reason for
there to be 15 locks).

it's not a quest to leave things unlocked. It's not having to live
your life paranoid about people taking your stuff and to realize that
while there are times and places when you need to take the time to
lock up..there are times and places where it is not necessary and it
borders on paranoia.

I live in what is considered a safe neighborhood (houses in the $400K's,
apartment rent near $1000 per month).  We still get the occasional
notice of car prowls and stolen items.  The person in the apartment next
to mine lost an entire set of golf clubs (with bag).  Why?  He felt it
was safe to leave his apartment with the windows wide open.  The prowler
only needed to pop out the screen and reach in and grab the golf bag.
He didn't even actually have to enter the apartment.  No noise.  Little
time.  Easy to pawn off for drug money.

It's not being paranoid.  It's being smart and keeping the stuff that
you own.  Your average prowler is looking for an easy snag.  A locked
door or window will usually send him on to the next door or window.  He
doesn't want to spend a lot of time or make a lot of noise during the
snag.  Only the stupidest crooks don't have stealth built in (and they
don't stay crooks for long).

--Andy

You are absolutely right, Andy. Thieves are first and foremost,
opportunists. If you take even just basic measures to discourage them,
they'll move along and find a different, easier target. But I also
agree with Larry and can appreciate how helpful his dog must be. What
follows, describes a different kind of protective mascot that has
proven to be highly effective:

<OT Probably wouldn't work for a car>
To protect the people in the laboratory I work for, there's a very
fashionably dressed mannequin stationed directly inside the entrance.
Anyone stepping inside (or even just walking by) is taken aback and
looks directly at her. But the next thing everyone notices is that
behind her head is a camera and she's standing in front of a monitor
displaying their picture:

   http://www.flickr.com/elmercat/2806558457

Our "Guardian Mannequin" has protected the Lab for several years now,
and so far, she's done a flawless job! First of all, anyone sneaking
around looking to cause trouble is immediately scared off. They're
certainly not going to bother us and, after seeing their face caught
on camera, hopefully the intruder will leave the building and not come
back.

I had mixed feelings before setting up the camera, not wanting to be
recording everyone's comings and goings. While the professor in charge
tended to agree, we ultimately decided the need to protect the lab was
most important. However, now the mannequin gets to play an additional
role, this time to let everyone (who belongs in the Lab) know that
they're being recorded. It's actually kind of cute when regular people
first discover the setup; they look to find exactly where the camera
is, then they kind of move around in front of it and watch their image
on the screen (which is all-the-while detecting their motion in an
attention getting way). Most people ultimately go right up close to
the lens and make a silly face!

But after that initial disclosure that they're being "watched" by the
mannequin, I didn't want people to just forget about it, which might
increase the possibility of invading their privacy. To avoid this, the
motion detectors in the camera software communicate with another
program that plays sound files. Depending on multiple factors like; in
which part(s) of the screen is motion detected, how long  it's been
before and after, etc.; any one of hundreds of different sound files
are played. (they are mostly electromechanical telephone sounds and
short bits of speech like Jane Barbe saying "Good Afternoon", Madonna
saying "What are you lookin' at?!!", or just an old fashioned
intercept operator saying "What number did'ja dial?". Because the
sounds are unexpected and different, passersby are constantly reminded
of the camera.
</OT Probably wouldn't work for a car>

Elmer

I like cameras... in places where there are problems...

here's the deal -.. I don't think it's a good practice to run on auto-
pilot on these things.

Each situation requires that you take the time to go through the
situational awareness process...

it's so easy to lock with the FOBS now that I usually do it...


.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: GPS units--target for thieves?
    ... sight inside my car. ... it's closed and there's a lock on it, ... fashionably dressed mannequin stationed directly inside the entrance. ... on camera, hopefully the intruder will leave the building and not come ...
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  • Re: GPS units--target for thieves?
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